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Anonymous Coward writes:
"Dan Luu, in his blog, suggests that editing binaries is something that we should consider from time to time. From that blog:
Editing binaries is a trick that comes in handy a few times a year. You don't often need to, but when you do, there's no alternative. When I mention patching binaries, I get one of two reactions: complete shock or no reaction at all. As far as I can tell, this is because most people have one of these two models of the world:
- There exists source code. Compilers do something to source code to make it runnable. If you change the source code, different things happen.
- There exists a processor. The processor takes some bits and decodes them to make things happen. If you change the bits, different things happen.
If you have the first view, breaking out a hex editor to modify a program is the action of a deranged lunatic. If you have the second view, editing binaries is the most natural thing in the world. Why wouldn't you just edit the binary?"
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Editing Binaries: Easier Than It Sounds
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If the thunder don't get you, then the lightning will.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by internetguy on Monday March 24 2014, @09:11PM
When I was in 4th grade my very first hack was to the game "Pitfall". I found the variable "lives" and I changed it to 1000. That's when I decided that I wanted to be a computer programmer.
Sig: I must be new here.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by hybristic on Monday March 24 2014, @10:59PM
That sounds very similar to how I got started. I remember watching my dad play Star Control 2, and I thought it was the coolest thing ever (to be fair it is a great game). So when I picked up a copy off a warez site it came with its own editor. That was the first time I realized that there was code that powered computers, my life was changed forever. For years after that the first thing I would do when I installed a new game was look at the associated files and try to make changes. Modding code eventually turned into writing code. Funny how something so small can change the way you look at the world.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by mhajicek on Tuesday March 25 2014, @03:19AM
In an older version of Moria I found how to set the stats of my equipment in a hex editor. I had a dagger with 99d9.
The spacelike surfaces of time foliations can have a cusp at the surface of discontinuity. - P. Hajicek
(Score: 2) by stormwyrm on Tuesday March 25 2014, @05:51AM
When I was around the same age I did that to Ultima III. DEBUG.COM was all I had, and it sufficed to trace into the copy protection code enough that I could patch it to remove it permanently. I later did the same thing to all the Bard's Tales (neutering the code wheel checks on BT3), and I even traced Wasteland skill usage rolls to force them to succeed.
Numquam ponenda est pluralitas sine necessitate.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 25 2014, @07:21PM
That's how I got started hacking assembly, but I'd nop out the decrement instead.